Diversity and Disparities Overview

The Catholic Health Association and the Catholic health care ministry are committed to the importance of diversity — both in the workforce and in meeting the needs of diverse patients. We recognize the importance of fostering diversity throughout the health care system, from the board room and C-suite throughout the entire workforce, both because of the demands of justice and in order to promote the health needs of the many diverse populations we serve. Our commitment to encouraging diversity and ending health disparities is rooted in the spiritual mission of Catholic health care, and CHA is dedicated to promoting this mission in order to improve care for all patients. Learn more

Diversity and Disparities Update Newsletter

Reflection on Equity Prayer Card

CHA is pleased to offer a reflection resource that uses the story of Lazarus to help us consider our call to end disparities and bring about health equity in our world today. A two sided, 5x7 card, it is available in packs of 50 at no cost, including free shipping.

A new CDC report on maternal mortality found significant racial disparities, with African-Amerincanand American Indian/Alaska Native women 3 times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause as White women. To learn more about maternal mortality read the report and visit the CDC’s Vital Statistics webpage.

CMS Office of Minority Health Report(April 25, 2017) In recognition of National Minority Health Month, the CMS Office of Minority Health has released a data highlight that – for the first time ever – examines Marketplace enrollment activity by racial and ethnic subgroup, as well as spoken and written language preference.

Guide to Preventing Readmissions Among Racially & Ethnically Diverse Medicare BeneficiariesAs part of the CMS Equity Plan for Improving Quality in Medicare, CMS OMH, in collaboration with the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and NORC at the University of Chicago, produced a Guide to Preventing Readmissions among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Medicare Beneficiaries. This Guide is designed to equip hospital leaders, as well as QIN-QIOs and HENs, with guidance for addressing avoidable readmissions in this population. The Guide provides a set of action-oriented recommendations, as well as case examples of initiatives that may be applied to reduce readmissions in diverse populations.Download the Guide.

What’s Killing Our Children? Child and Infant Mortality among American Indians and Alaska NativesBy Teshia G. Arambula Solomon, Felina M. Cordova, and Francisco Garcia
The very vulnerable demographic group of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) youth face unique and important challenges. The authors of a new paper from the National Academy of Medicine use the lens of infant and childhood mortality as a tool to recognize opportunities for action that could have an impact on this perhaps most critical indicator of the health of this population. The authors extract some lessons from the lived experiences of too many reservation and urban Indian communities and turn these tragic stories into useful tools for broader policy and health system change.Read the article

Chartbook on Health Care for Blacks – National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a Chartbook on Health Care for Blacks, derived from the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, which summarizes trends in health care disparities by race related to access, Heckler Report priorities, and National Quality Strategy priorities. Key findings include increases in suicide and mental health disparities, improvements in access to care since the Affordable Care Act, and poorer quality of care related to person-centeredness and care coordination. Download the free report and slide deck

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to and Utilization of Care among Insured Adults
The Kaiser Family Foundation has a new issue brief out looking at the extent to which people of color may continue to experience disparities in access to and utilization of care even after ACA implementation. The brief examines differences in access to and utilization of care for Black and Hispanic adults compared to White adults among those who are uninsured, enrolled in Medicaid, and privately insured, using data from the 2014 Kaiser Survey of Low-Income Americans.